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#11
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If they ever figure out how to effectively jam GPS all of those GPS dependant wonder weapons are going to be pretty limited. Can you name which weapons are "GPS dependent"? JDAM is not (it uses an inertial guidance system, with GPS updates providing enhanced accuracy, but it is still pretty accurate with just the inertial), and I doubt SDB will be, either. JDAM, JSOW, JASSM. Sure they have inertial backups but they aren't going to be flying into any open doors or individual buildings with them. If GPS is down that means they get their initial coordinate from the launching aircraft's INS. Those drift and aren't precision by any stretch. JCM is to use three guidance systems, all packaged into one missile--MMW radar, semi-active laser, and IR. So your point would be...? Well since GPS isn't a JCM form of guidance you obviously MISSED my point. I commented on JCM's short range and small warhead and you said "well we could use XXX instead". "XXX" being a GPS guided weapon of one kind or another. Not to mention that the DoD has apparently been staying a jump ahead of jamming attempts to date, and has expressed a strong desire to continue in that mode. Great. Doesn't mean they'll always succeed. Also your targeting options are going to be substantially less than a LOAL Maverick not to mention the lack of precision compared to a Maverick. Lack of precision? Can you point to any source that indicates JCM will be *less* precise than the AGM-65 family? Like I said, you missed the point. We're talking about GPS guided weapons. With a tri-mode seeker, it would be hard to say that JCM will offer less targeting options than the Maverick, which forces you to target using the single system available to that particular variant. A JCM will not be able to take out the full spectrum of Maverick targets anymore than an SDB will be able to handle 2000lb BLU-109 targets. And as I said earlier, if the target is such that it is determined a JCM *can't* handle it, then other options will remain available. What is the single "target set" that the military services are most concerned with being able to kill these days? Those that are mobile (the whole idea behind reducing the sensor-to-shooter lagtime). How many mobile targets are there that can't be killed by a JCM but can be killed by a Maverick? Well you go hit those SA-17 sites with your JCM and I'll use a LOAL Maverick. Who do you think will have more fun? Darned few (medium sized and larger combatant vessels being the majority of those few, though JCM's dual/tandem warhead would not make life easy for *any* patrol combatatnt it hits--and we still have Harpoon to deal with those). If the target is a MBT, then you need a direct hit to be assured of killing it--even with a Maverick; so why would JCM be a less capable missile in this regard? Range, range, range. Using the "plenty" argument, then the USAF would apparently be wasting its effort with the SDB; I mean, heck, the A-10 or F-16 can carry oodles of Mark 82's, right? But the folks in charge seem quite interested in being able to both increase the number of munitions carried per sortie, and at the same time take advantage of more precise engagement capabilities with smaller warheads to reduce collateral damage--why do you think the same philosophy does not make sense in the JCM versus Maverick debate? You'll also note they're keeping LGBs around though. SDBs are great if you're attacking a stationary target who's location is known or if you have a guy on the ground to get you a GPS coordinate but if you are trying to hit a moving target you'll want an LGB not an SDB. Not necessarily. The USAF and USN have been involved with some interesting tests involving hitting *moving* (not just mobile) targets with non-laser guided weapons, using datalinked information from airborne radars to update the munition after it has been dropped. ISTR reading where a LMCO system of that sort has already chalked up a couple of "hits" during tests. And if the target is moving and you *do* have a laser lock on it, JCM will do the job--it has that semi active laser capability, remember? *sigh* Try to stay on topic. Or at least in context. I was saying you aren't going to be able to hit moving targets with GPS. Sure they've done some tests. That was several years ago and you'll notice we haven't heard anything about it since. It's one thing to get a group of aircraft together to support hitting a target moving in a straight line. Quite another to support scores of strike aircraft who could be anywhere trying to hit god-knows-what. If you have an army on the move supported by SA-17sor moving targets inside a zone defended by SA-17s (or anything better for that matter) you're not going to want to try to take them out with JCM. Not if you're smart anyway. IF they're emmitting then sure, you can take a HARM shot. If they're just hanging out waiting offline then you're out of luck with the HARM. On that same note a JCM will not be able to handle all Maverick targets, especially if you factor in the LOAL capability that is being looked into. But from what I gather, JCM will also have LOAL capability (according to LMCO), so what advantage does Maverick offer in that regard? Range. I'm not saying JCM couldn't handle many of the targets currently assigned to Maverick but it's not a 100% solution. A good example happened during Desert Storm. You had a couple A-10s tooling around in the boonies looking for targets of opportunity and they saw a big bunker with guys standing around it's open door so they flew a Maverickthrough the open door and destroyed it. An itty bitty 25 pound warhead won't have the effect of a 125 (or 300 for that matter) pound warhead on a bunker and from a practicle standpoint you aren't going to get a GPS guided anything through it on short notice without a guy on the ground. You seem to have an erroneous view of what the JCM warhead is all about. It uses a tandem warhead system--a shaped charge to punch an entry way for the following blast/frag warhead Well what it "sounds" like is a roughly 25 pound warhead. . Sounds like your bunker could have been taken down by a JCM just as well as that Maverick. There's that range thing again. Care to guess what the effect of even ten pounds of HE going off *inside* a bunker would be? Yeah. Nothing like a 125 or 300 pound warhead. Guarantee you none of the occupants are going to be able to tell you about it for quite a while--if ever. Maybe not the people but the equipment is another matter. At best you'd have to use a laser system on the aircraft (which the A-10 doesn't have) to get a GPS coordinate but since you want the bomb to go INSIDE the bunker THROUGH the open door I'm not sure you'd have a lot of luck getting that coordinate where you want it. Since JCM offers three different modes of targeting, I believe it would be more capable in this regard than any single-mode Maverick. Provided that the defenders don't have SAMs that out-range JCM. Much more likely than with Maverick. From what I have read, the actual effective range of maverick is less than what JCM is supposed to offer; Maverick having what one source credited as about a 14 km *effective* maximum range, versus 16 km for JCM. According to Lockheed's sheet on the JCM it's 16km for rotary wing and 28 for fixed wing. For the Maverick the info I've found lists about is also 28km. For LOAL Maverick Raytheon says "over 20 miles" (32km) but I've seen 40 miles mentioned too. Unfortunately I can't locate the 40 mile figure. It might have been in Jane's or something. The thing is if LOAL Maverick only gets you twenty miles AND JCM has LOAL capability I'm inclined to agree with you. OTH if LOAL Maverick is in the 30 to 40 mile range I think it would be sacrificing capability. Or, coversely, if the striker has to provide its own air defense in this scenario, which would be better--the F-16 with only two pylons remaining (after adding a couple of extra AIM-120's to the sortie requirment) lugging two AGM-65's, or the same aircraft carrying four or six JCM's? Brook Those AIM-120s aren't going to do you much good against an SA-17 battery. On the other hand with an LOAL Maverick you could fire from outside the SAM's range whereas with a JCM you could not. Not according to what I have been reading. If that info has not been correct, please provide your numbers. See my above comment. Until I can track down the 40 mile figure for LOAL Maverick I'm thinking it might have been an error. I'd think if anybody Raytheon would talking about it but they say only "20+ miles". |
#12
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Scott Ferrin wrote in message ... If they ever figure out how to effectively jam GPS all of those GPS dependant wonder weapons are going to be pretty limited. Can you name which weapons are "GPS dependent"? JDAM is not (it uses an inertial guidance system, with GPS updates providing enhanced accuracy, but it is still pretty accurate with just the inertial), and I doubt SDB will be, either. JDAM, JSOW, JASSM. Sure they have inertial backups but they aren't going to be flying into any open doors or individual buildings with them. If GPS is down that means they get their initial coordinate from the launching aircraft's INS. Those drift and aren't precision by any stretch. You have it distinctly backwards--the inertial is the primary guidance system, with GPS providing enhanced capability. Without GPS it is still credited with a 30 meter CEP, so hitting that building, if it is a decent sized one, is a real likelihood--taking down the door is not. But given that JDAM comes in a minimum size package of 500 pounds, I doubt hitting the door is required in the first place. As to getting its positional update from the launch aircraft, normally that is the case (though AMSTE changes the picure to include after launch updates from other sources)--and if you are speculating that the launch aircraft *also* is being jammed throughout its approach, that is one heck of a GPS jammer you have working for you. JCM is to use three guidance systems, all packaged into one missile--MMW radar, semi-active laser, and IR. So your point would be...? Well since GPS isn't a JCM form of guidance you obviously MISSED my point. I commented on JCM's short range and small warhead and you said "well we could use XXX instead". "XXX" being a GPS guided weapon of one kind or another. That short range that is, in fact, not so "short" when employed from fixed wing platforms? Which is in fact greater than that of the Maverick, from what I have been able to find both on the web and in my references? Or the "small warhead" that is in reality a tandem warhead? At this point you have aparently mischaracterized JCM in every manner, and embarked upon an attmpt to try and point to other systems as being inherently inaccurate (look up the results of the AMSTE tests with JDAM before you go to far out on a limb on that one)... Not to mention that the DoD has apparently been staying a jump ahead of jamming attempts to date, and has expressed a strong desire to continue in that mode. Great. Doesn't mean they'll always succeed. My money is on them. You know what kind of weapon was reportedly used to kill a GPS jammer in Iraq, don't you? JDAM... now that is irony for you. Also your targeting options are going to be substantially less than a LOAL Maverick not to mention the lack of precision compared to a Maverick. Lack of precision? Can you point to any source that indicates JCM will be *less* precise than the AGM-65 family? Like I said, you missed the point. We're talking about GPS guided weapons. No, we are talking about JCM--look at the thread's title. You have manufactured a case claiming that JCM is less capable than Maverick, but your assumptions (i.e., it has a shorter range, when it does not; its warhead is "small", ignoring the fact that it uses a tandem warhead design to acheive increased penetration and lethality, etc.)have not proven to be correct. Now you want to instead shift the focus to the other air delivered systtems we now have, or will soon be fielding? Nope. With a tri-mode seeker, it would be hard to say that JCM will offer less targeting options than the Maverick, which forces you to target using the single system available to that particular variant. A JCM will not be able to take out the full spectrum of Maverick targets anymore than an SDB will be able to handle 2000lb BLU-109 targets. And as I said earlier, if the target is such that it is determined a JCM *can't* handle it, then other options will remain available. What is the single "target set" that the military services are most concerned with being able to kill these days? Those that are mobile (the whole idea behind reducing the sensor-to-shooter lagtime). How many mobile targets are there that can't be killed by a JCM but can be killed by a Maverick? Well you go hit those SA-17 sites with your JCM and I'll use a LOAL Maverick. Who do you think will have more fun? Your's, being as it actually has a shorter maximum engagement range and relies on a single targeting mode. Of course, if you want to ignore those facts, your mileage might differ... Darned few (medium sized and larger combatant vessels being the majority of those few, though JCM's dual/tandem warhead would not make life easy for *any* patrol combatatnt it hits--and we still have Harpoon to deal with those). If the target is a MBT, then you need a direct hit to be assured of killing it--even with a Maverick; so why would JCM be a less capable missile in this regard? Range, range, range. Regarding which you are apparently wrong, wrong, wrong. LMCO claims JCM employed from a fixed wing asset will have a maximum range of more than 28 km (see http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/4550.pdf ). Maverick comes in at a maximum of 26 km (www.astronautix.com/lvs/maverick.htm ). And some sources indicate the real max range of Maverick is actually less--in the order of 23 km. Using the "plenty" argument, then the USAF would apparently be wasting its effort with the SDB; I mean, heck, the A-10 or F-16 can carry oodles of Mark 82's, right? But the folks in charge seem quite interested in being able to both increase the number of munitions carried per sortie, and at the same time take advantage of more precise engagement capabilities with smaller warheads to reduce collateral damage--why do you think the same philosophy does not make sense in the JCM versus Maverick debate? You'll also note they're keeping LGBs around though. SDBs are great if you're attacking a stationary target who's location is known or if you have a guy on the ground to get you a GPS coordinate but if you are trying to hit a moving target you'll want an LGB not an SDB. Not necessarily. The USAF and USN have been involved with some interesting tests involving hitting *moving* (not just mobile) targets with non-laser guided weapons, using datalinked information from airborne radars to update the munition after it has been dropped. ISTR reading where a LMCO system of that sort has already chalked up a couple of "hits" during tests. And if the target is moving and you *do* have a laser lock on it, JCM will do the job--it has that semi active laser capability, remember? *sigh* Try to stay on topic. LOL! This from the guy who has tried to turn this into a tapdance regarding GPS reliability? And is advocating a system (LOAL Maverick) that, accoring to its manufacturer, itself is reliant upon GPS in order to get optimal performance? Or at least in context. I was saying you aren't going to be able to hit moving targets with GPS. Sure they've done some tests. That was several years ago and you'll notice we haven't heard anything about it since. AMSTE was tested last October against a moving target. An ongoing and so far pretty succesful program. It's one thing to get a group of aircraft together to support hitting a target moving in a straight line. Quite another to support scores of strike aircraft who could be anywhere trying to hit god-knows-what. Neither of which your *shorter range* Maverick does anything to improve. If you have an army on the move supported by SA-17sor moving targets inside a zone defended by SA-17s (or anything better for that matter) you're not going to want to try to take them out with JCM. Not if you're smart anyway. Going after them with fewer (per sortie) shorter range Mavericks is not a good idea, IMO. IF they're emmitting then sure, you can take a HARM shot. If they're just hanging out waiting offline then you're out of luck with the HARM. So you gain a couple km more standoff range with your JCM, not to mention three methods of targeting them--versus one for Maverick. Again, not a good idea to go with Maverick in that scenario, IMO. On that same note a JCM will not be able to handle all Maverick targets, especially if you factor in the LOAL capability that is being looked into. But from what I gather, JCM will also have LOAL capability (according to LMCO), so what advantage does Maverick offer in that regard? Range. Point to sources that indicate Maverick has a longer range than JCM, please. I'm not saying JCM couldn't handle many of the targets currently assigned to Maverick but it's not a 100% solution. A good example happened during Desert Storm. You had a couple A-10s tooling around in the boonies looking for targets of opportunity and they saw a big bunker with guys standing around it's open door so they flew a Maverickthrough the open door and destroyed it. An itty bitty 25 pound warhead won't have the effect of a 125 (or 300 for that matter) pound warhead on a bunker and from a practicle standpoint you aren't going to get a GPS guided anything through it on short notice without a guy on the ground. You seem to have an erroneous view of what the JCM warhead is all about. It uses a tandem warhead system--a shaped charge to punch an entry way for the following blast/frag warhead Well what it "sounds" like is a roughly 25 pound warhead. LMCO indicates it is capable of killing bunkers, and I doubt that the Army would weant this puppy if it did not have that rudimentary capability--but they do want it. What does that tell you? . Sounds like your bunker could have been taken down by a JCM just as well as that Maverick. There's that range thing again. There is that whole "what range thing?" again, too. Care to guess what the effect of even ten pounds of HE going off *inside* a bunker would be? Yeah. Nothing like a 125 or 300 pound warhead. Like the other poster noted, just killing a tank is just as good as scattering the tank's remains about a wide area of the battlefield--same thing goes for bunkers. In fact, if the battle is up close and the friendlies are in danger close margins, then the less catastrophic kill capability is generally preferred. Guarantee you none of the occupants are going to be able to tell you about it for quite a while--if ever. Maybe not the people but the equipment is another matter. Equipment is useless without people to make it work; and I do not share your conviction that the overpressure and fragmentation effects generated by the JCM are going to be worthless against any equipment in samesaid bunker. At best you'd have to use a laser system on the aircraft (which the A-10 doesn't have) to get a GPS coordinate but since you want the bomb to go INSIDE the bunker THROUGH the open door I'm not sure you'd have a lot of luck getting that coordinate where you want it. Since JCM offers three different modes of targeting, I believe it would be more capable in this regard than any single-mode Maverick. Provided that the defenders don't have SAMs that out-range JCM. Much more likely than with Maverick. "What range thing?" again. From what I have read, the actual effective range of maverick is less than what JCM is supposed to offer; Maverick having what one source credited as about a 14 km *effective* maximum range, versus 16 km for JCM. According to Lockheed's sheet on the JCM it's 16km for rotary wing and 28 for fixed wing. For the Maverick the info I've found lists about is also 28km. For LOAL Maverick Raytheon says "over 20 miles" (32km) but I've seen 40 miles mentioned too. Unfortunately I can't locate the 40 mile figure. It might have been in Jane's or something. The thing is if LOAL Maverick only gets you twenty miles AND JCM has LOAL capability I'm inclined to agree with you. OTH if LOAL Maverick is in the 30 to 40 mile range I think it would be sacrificing capability. Odd, looking at Raytheon's data sheet, I see no mention whatsoever of range, increased or otherwise. www.raytheon.com/products/ maverick/ref_docs/maverick.pdf But I did note that LOAL Maverick is going to be depending upon that bugaboo of your's, GPS--so I guess we ought to discard it outright? Brooks Or, coversely, if the striker has to provide its own air defense in this scenario, which would be better--the F-16 with only two pylons remaining (after adding a couple of extra AIM-120's to the sortie requirment) lugging two AGM-65's, or the same aircraft carrying four or six JCM's? Brook Those AIM-120s aren't going to do you much good against an SA-17 battery. On the other hand with an LOAL Maverick you could fire from outside the SAM's range whereas with a JCM you could not. Not according to what I have been reading. If that info has not been correct, please provide your numbers. See my above comment. Until I can track down the 40 mile figure for LOAL Maverick I'm thinking it might have been an error. I'd think if anybody Raytheon would talking about it but they say only "20+ miles". |
#13
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On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 03:51:20 GMT, "David E. Powell"
wrote: "Peter Kemp" wrote in message .. . On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 08:39:57 -0600, Scott Ferrin wrote: Yes, but the reliance on the one system (GPS) and the independence of the Maverick's targeting system are serious points. What happens if someone can jam or knock out the sats? Or the LOAL datalinklink which is rather less bulletproof than you seem to think. Don't forget that to jam the sats requires either absurdly large amounts of power for a ground based jammer (as the planes are well above the earth and the directional antennae look up not down), or you're in orbit and that means you're probably only jamming periodically (unless you've got enough sats to cover the entier GPS constellation - which is extremely unlikely and not the sort of thing you can put in place secretly). But an aircraft armed with JCM can engage far more targets more cheaply than one armed with LOAL Maverick. And don't forget that the command link on the LOAL Maverick (I assume it's commanded rather than autonomous?) can also be jammed, and far more simply than jamming GPS over a broad area. How many targets does the one plane need to hit? It seems that people are trying to turn fighter-bombers into the Hollywood 50-shot six-shooter instead of dealing with numbers requirements and reserve force requirements. Don;t blame me, blame the DoD. In DESERT Storm 4 planes were sent to destroy each target. In IRAQI FREEDOM 1 plane was sent to bomb 4 targets on average. As Keving pointed out if bases are scarce, getting more sorties on target may not be an option. Also, the range issue is important. If the flier must take a plane deeper into a danger area to launch his weapon, it risks the craft, the pilot, and the ability of such to use the rest of their weapons to good effect on that sortie at the least. JCM has the range, unles you're postulating that teh LOAL Maverick also inherits the turboject of the "Longhorn" Maverick concept. Quite frankly there are not many battlefield targets that could withstand a JCM, and those that could are the ones with active defences (Like Shtora), which will find it easier to engage a larger missile like a Maverick than a smaller JCM. Better to risk a missile than a pilot getting close to one of those things to fire a smaller weapon with lesser range. And why exactly is a pilot worried about a tank armed with Shtora? It's a tank self defence ssytem, not a SAM. The SAMs will *not* survive a hit from either JCM or Maverick. At which point you whistle up a couple of CBU-97. Which would be nice, yes, but how much room do they take up on the racks? If 90% of the targets can be seviced by JCM, then you load up with only a few. And they take up the same space as a Maverick (i.e. one pylon). Plus, if they are on other planes, how far out are they, can they be diverted, and how does this fit in the "more weapons, less planes" arrangement? Not to mention that if one is worried about Maverick or JCM range, getting close enough to drop CBUs.... and how big are CBUs for such an antimissile defense, if Mav is considered a large target? I'm asking because I am sure you have more knowledge on that one than me.... Well first of all, if range worries you then you use a WCMD launched at hish speed and altitude to get a good range, and by the time you get within the range of Shtora they're not dealing with a large CBU, but a cloud of bomblets/skeets, all of which are very small and each is capable of providing the kill. Does LOAL Maverick have a role for which it is particularly suited? Probably, but the role can be covered quite nicely by JCM plus other systems with more flexibility and without adding another system to the inventory. Working a system that is Maverick compatable into things spares having to go to futher lengths than such in another system, actually. Not particularly clear sentence here, but I assume you meant htere is already a spares holding - but of course there won't be when JCM arrives, as it is supposed to replace the Hellfire/TOW/Maverick and their associated spares. Peter Kemp |
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